The Story Behind Our Tuolumne & Cherry Creek Combo Trip
The Tuolumne River is a classic wilderness run with big Class IV rapids, beautiful camps, and plenty of time to take in the scenery. Cherry Creek is steeper, more technical, and packed with demanding Class V whitewater. Although they may sound like two different rivers, they’re actually two whitewater sections of the same river – Cherry Creek is the upper stretch that flows into the Tuolumne downstream.
Put the two sections together and you get a unique combination of intense whitewater and wilderness camping that’s hard to find anywhere else. Today, combining them into a single continuous rafting trip seems like a natural idea. But getting to that point took decades of exploring, learning, and developing the skills and equipment needed to run challenging rivers. Here’s the story of the Tuolumne / Cherry Creek Combo Trip.
It Started on the Stanislaus
When George Armstrong first started taking his family down the Stanislaus River in the early 1960s, rafting as we know it today simply didn’t exist yet. The Stanislaus was where All-Outdoors was born, and for years it was at the heart of California’s emerging whitewater rafting scene.
The river was spectacular, wild, and challenging. It was also where we learned the basics of running a rafting company: how to train guides and how to take people safely down a river while giving them a great experience.
The South Fork American Finds Its Place
In 1972, George took his four sons to explore a section of the South Fork American River that he hadn’t yet seen. What they found was a river with plenty of whitewater, easy access, and a lot of potential. All-Outdoors began running commercial trips on the South Fork a few years later. At first, the Stan was still the star, but the South Fork kept growing as it became increasingly clear that the Stanislaus would be lost to New Melones Reservoir.
The South Fork American was ready to take on a much bigger role. As interest in rafting continued to build, it became a hub for whitewater rafting in California, with fun rapids and a variety of trip options that made it a natural place for a new generation of rafters to learn the sport.
Heading Toward Yosemite & Beyond
There were still plenty of rivers in California waiting to be explored, and All-Outdoors was eager to find them. In 1977, we started running trips on the Merced River near Yosemite National Park, opening up a new part of the Sierra Nevada to our guests. A few years later, in 1982, we expanded again, launching operations on the Tuolumne, Middle Fork American, and North Fork American Rivers.
The Tuolumne quickly became one of our signature multi-day wilderness rafting trips. In some ways, it brought back the kind of wilderness experience that had made the Stanislaus so special. In contrast to the easy access and busier rafting corridor of the South Fork American, the Tuolumne takes you deep into a rugged canyon where the river, the scenery, and the camping are all part of the experience. And the whitewater is excellent.
Over the years, the Tuolumne became one of the places where our guides could really develop their skills. We were running bigger water, longer trips, and more demanding rapids in a remote setting.
Expanding the Limits on Cherry Creek
By this point, we had become confident running a variety of challenging rivers. But when the U.S. Forest Service approached us with an offer of a commercial rafting permit on Cherry Creek, we were still skeptical that this particular stretch of whitewater could be commercially rafted. The river is steep, technical, and relentless, with one challenging rapid after another and very little room for error. In fact, our first descent in the late 1980s was done to prove to the Forest Service that bringing paying guests there was foolish.
Alas, after just one trip, we were convinced otherwise. Rafting equipment had undergone vast improvements over the previous decade, and the new self-bailing rafts, paired with the extensive experience and skills of our guides, made commercial rafting trips on Cherry Creek a realistic possibility. What initially seemed like a crazy idea turned out to be one heck of a rafting trip and a great addition to our river lineup.
Two Sections, One Big River Trip
For years, we treated Cherry Creek as a trip in a league of its own, requiring a different level of preparation from our guides and guests. But after nearly two decades of running Cherry Creek, we had become comfortable on the river and eventually started looking at it differently. We realized that by treating Cherry Creek and the Tuolumne as separate trips, we—and our guests—were missing an incredible opportunity.
Although the whitewater difficulty varies, the two sections share the same wild canyon, beautiful scenery, and feeling of being far removed from everyday life. In 2007, we began offering a remarkable continuous 27-mile river trip through the entire Tuolumne Canyon. The Tuolumne/Cherry Creek Combo Trip combines some of the most intense whitewater in the country with the remote wilderness and multi-day camping experience that make the Tuolumne so special.
The 2-Day and 3-Day Combo Trips have become a favorite for groups looking for a bigger river adventure. These itineraries also offer something you don’t often get on a trip like this: flexibility. Some members of a group can tackle the full Combo, while others can skip Cherry Creek and join the group for the Tuolumne section. Everyone can still share the same camps, meals, and time together on the river, making it possible to have different levels of adventure without having to take separate trips.
More Than Rivers
Looking back today, it’s easy to see these milestones as individual accomplishments. But together, they tell a much bigger story.
The loss of the Stanislaus led to new opportunities. The South Fork American became the new hub for California rafting, and the Merced opened the door to a new part of the Sierra. The Tuolumne became one of our defining rivers, while Cherry Creek pushed our guides to new levels of skill and experience. Each river helped shape who we are, and so did the people we shared them with.
What started with George Armstrong taking his family on the river as a pastime near their Sierra cabin grew into a pioneering rafting outfitter, leading to All-Outdoors of today. Our range of trips now spans 10 California rivers, from easy floats for young families to the ultimate advanced wilderness experience of the Tuolumne/Cherry Creek Combo Trip. Come join us, and there’s a good chance your raft will be guided by one of our many second-generation guides whose parents helped pioneer the rivers we all enjoy today.
Raft Cherry Creek!
This could be you! Nonstop action, technical rapids, and a remote canyon—if you’re looking for the ultimate challenge, this is it. Feel the rush, and take on California’s most intense whitewater.
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Lenka Bostian
Lenka started working for All-Outdoors in the summer of 2005 when she followed her heart from her native Czech Republic out to California. After graduating college in Prague, she packed up her degree in International Business and moved across the pond for good. She’s been part of the AO family ever since, wearing different hats along the way. Besides trail running, tennis, and traveling, Lenka enjoys rafting and camping on the South Fork with her hubby (former AO guide) and their twin boys.
